This invention relates generally to fishing accessories and, more particularly, to a tool for use with an ice fishing tip-up that enables a fishing line to be automatically extended or retracted.
Ice fishing is a popular sport, especially in northern climates where large lakes may be covered with thick ice for many months at a time. Typically, an ice fisherman must bore through the ice using an auger and then extend a fishing line with bait or a lure into the water. A “tip-up” is typically used to hold the line and is configured to signal the fisherman when a fish has been caught. At that point, or at the end of a fishing session even if no fish was hooked, the line must be retracted onto the fishing reel of the tip-up.
Ice fisherman often work multiple ice holes simultaneously, sometimes deep into the night or even through the entire night. Retracting all of the lines when it is time to go home can be a very inconvenient task as ice fishing reels may not have a traditional crank type reel. Even if only fishing from a single hole, reeling up a line from the cold water by hand to remove a caught fish is a difficult and unpleasant task, especially when the fisherman is wearing gloves due to cold temperatures.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a motorized tool that enables a fisherman to automatically extend or retract a fishing line relative to an ice fishing hole. Further, it would be desirable to have a fishing tool that may be used by a person wearing gloves and that includes a light and other implements useful in ice fishing.